[PotatoHeadMick]

The problem with that of course is reinstalling all the programs that you do actually need it’s not all junk on your pc. I did exactly what you did frequently and then discovered that Norton for example only allows a limited number of installations and I had to go out and pay for a new cd.

[dayglored]

> The problem with that of course is reinstalling all the programs that you do actually need it’s not all junk on your pc. I did exactly what you did frequently and then discovered that Norton for example only allows a limited number of installations and I had to go out and pay for a new cd.

I found that software vendors are in three categories, with regard to re-installation on the same hardware:

1. Software you can re-install any number of times without hassle or charge.
2. Software you can re-install a few times, then it requires an email or call to tech support to get a fresh key.
3. Software you can only re-install a few times, then it goes dead and you have to buy more.

I stopped using anything from category #3. There's always an alternative in either category #2, or better, #1.

In my experience, license managers (e.g. FlexLM), Adobe, and Norton/Symantec are among the worst offenders. But there are always alternatives, and I believe in applying market pressure by voting with my wallet. If they sell me a crippled product, it'll be the last one I buy from them.